Fruits of our Labors...

There's been a lot that has gone into Racing for Orphans with Down Syndrome.  Lots of times its pretty tedious.  Some days it's not really all that fun to get up early and go out in the cold to ride a bike in the dark.  I know that it's a huge sacrifice for Andrea in so many ways as well.  Probably the biggest challenge for her is putting up with me when I'm tired and cranky from all the training! :)  But she always handles it with a smile! 

Despite any challenges and sacrifices that may be required it's days like today that make it so worth it.  I've been working with our website guys to update our site the last few months.  As part of this update, I've been reaching out to all of our previous RODS Orphans who our team has raced for and who have a family committed to adopting them.  One of our RODS Orphans named Dylan recently had a family from Utah commit to adopt him.  This is exciting news since I live in Utah!  With the help of my sister Lindee Jo, I was able to find Dylan's new mom on Facebook.  I sent her a short message just introducing myself and anxiously waited for her reply.  When Dylan's mom wrote back, I was humbled by just how many miracles I have seen first hand since starting down this journey for the kids.  Please take a moment to read her message:

Hi Brady- It's really nice to get your message! I can't come up with adequate words of thanks for all you have done for our sweet Dylan. It's amazing and humbling what you and Rod's Racing do for orphans. We didn't know that our boy was a Rod's orphan when we inquired about him, but when we found out I've since been trying to think of a way express our gratitude, but I haven't yet because words just don't seem enough.

Although we aren't a very athletic couple I've told my husband Gavin that we are going to have to change that so we can join Rod's team and pay it forward! :) Would it be okay to write a post on Rod's facebook page? That would be a start to expressing our appreciation.

We have never met, but you have made a life changing impact in our lives. One night over a year ago in April I was reading a blog and it mentioned your story in the Desseret News and so I clicked over to read it. Little did I know my life was about to change forever. It was from your family's story that I first heard of Reece's Rainbow. After only a few weeks we were committing to our little angel Harmony and then later in October our other little angel Penelope. Our two beautiful Russian dolls that we pray a plead every day that Russia will get it figured out and we can bring them home. In the meantime, there have been some pretty divine and incredible happenings that have led us to our handsome boy. So, to find out that he was a Rod's orphan feels so full circle because it was your story that brought us to Reece's Rainbow, to our girls and Dylan.
Simply.....thank you.

We look forward to meeting you!
-Mali

Allow me to take a moment to give you some background here.  The very first Ironman I ever raced was Ironman St. George last May.  It was in preparation for this race that we founded RODS Racing.  In trying to share the kids story we contacted all of the local news outlets hoping one would share our story.  Deseret News was the very first news outlet to cover the story.  It's still one of my favorite articles that has been written.  Now well over a year later we just found out that it was this story that introduced this family to Reece's Rainbow.  Within two weeks they committed to adopting a child and later committed to another one!  Unfortunately their little ones they committed to were in Russia and all adoptions there have since been banned.  Heartbroken this family opened their hearts back up and found Dylan.  Ironically enough, of all the many hundred children listed on Reece's Rainbow, Dylan was one who we have chosen to race for as a RODS Orphan.  Dylan's family didn't know that he was a RODS Orphan but it sure seems fitting that he was! 

The purpose of RODS Racing is to raise funding and awareness for Orphaned children who have Down syndrome.  It's easy to track the success we have raising the funding but many times we can't quantify how much good comes from the awareness side.  Do you remember the part in Dylan's moms message that said she was introduced to the news article by someone sharing the RODS Racing story on their blog...?  This proves once again that it's by small and simple things that great things are brought to pass!  Whoever it was that shared the story, I just want to say thank you! 

Nash just celebrated his 6th birthday yesterday.  Andrea and I reflected back to when he was born.  What a wonderful 6 years that it's been for our family and everyone who's life has been touched by our little Nash.  We love you buddy!  We are so thankful that you are our son and that we are your parents.  Here's to many more years of service for all your little buddies.  We couldn't do it without you!

What better way to celebrate a birthday than going fishing!

2013 Boise 70.3 Race Report

With my family's recent move and my job change, I wasn't even sure if I would be able to compete in the Boise 70.3 this year.  I continued to bike and run after Kona but definitely not at the volume that I did in 2012.  About 2 months ago I decided I needed to buckle down and get some more structured training in so I could give Boise a shot.

 

This is my 4th year competing in Boise.  This race has had a run of bad luck with the weather over the years.  The first year was extremely hot and windy.  Year two was actually perfect.  Year 3 was freezing cold, rainy and windy.  This year was back to the hot and windy category.  It was manageable though.  Every time I am in a race that is windy I always compare it to the St. George Ironman last year.  Once I do that I feel a lot better about the conditions!

 

The day before the race was busy from early until late.  We got some great exposure for RODS in this race.  I got to be on the Kevin Miller morning show to share an update about RODS.  The Idaho State Journal also did a story you can read HERE. 

 

 

 

In the afternoon I was fortunate to get to do a story for Channel 7 News.  You can watch that story HERE.

 



 

Towards the later part of the day, I took my bike up to Lucky Peak reservoir to drop it off for the morning.  I decided I'd ride my bike from the parking lot to the drop off area which is only a few hundred yards.  Normally I walk it.  I'm glad I jumped on it because I found that I had an issue with my front derailleur.  I couldn't get it to shift to my big ring which is a problem.  I actually had this happen just this last week.  I took my bike into a new bike shop here to get fixed.  Unfortunately they didn't fix it.  So back to Boise I went.  I took it down to TriTown and Antonio worked his magic for me.  Antonio is an incredible bike mechanic.  

 

 

Race day came and I was ready to go.  Brynlee and her best friend Bailey came along for the entire race.  They also had a special friend with them, our very own Spuddy Buddy.  Having our premier sponsorship for RODS be Idaho Potatoes, it seemed fitting that Spuddy Buddy would be part of the days activities.

We had 4 of our RODS athletes racing in the Boise 70.3.  Pictured here is Brian Preece, and Trace Dandrea.  I couldn't find Tucker Botkin for the picture but he was out there battling along side us in his first 70.3 race.  Trace has raced in this race every year since they started 6 years ago.

Water temp was 60 degrees which was really nice for this race.  Last year it was a balmy 52.  After the initial shock it actually felt pretty good.  This was the first time that I've swam in open water since Kona.  Our age group go "cute" pink caps. 

 

I felt good during the swim but based on my time in the water, I must have felt anything but good.  This was actually the slowest 70.3 swim I've ever had, including my very first race I did 4 years ago.  Not sure what happened, but luckily the race doesn't end coming out of the water.  I saw somebody using a snorkel during the race which was pretty funny.  I didn't think these were allowed, but I might be wrong.  Maybe that's the key to getting a faster swim time!

 

This picture is about 38 miles into the bike.  I was feeling great on the bike.  Being a slow swimmer has its advantages.  You get to pass a lot of people on the bike!  The wind was strong all throughout the bike course.  The nice thing is it was either in your face or at your back.  That is a lot better than being a cross wind.  Those can get a little dicey. 

 

 

By mile 45 I was averaging 21.5 MPH and on pace to have a personal best on the bike.  My legs felt great and my heart rate was in check.  My nutrition was dialed in perfectly and I felt like I was going to have a great run.  That's when something went wrong.  There is a small bike path that takes the athletes under the highway.  It's a small and narrow path that you have to go slow on.  There is a little climb at the very end.  That's where I really hammered down on the pedal to gain some momentum up the hill.  The only problem is the bike crank completely seized.  I almost biffed it since all my momentum completely stopped.  I thought I had dropped a chain and that it was jammed in my crank.  That is a somewhat easy fix.  I jumped off the bike and looked down.  The chain was in place so I started to look for what the problem was.  I thought to myself, "hurry and get this fixed and it won't be an issue.  You might lose 30 seconds."  I stopped my watch and started investigating the problem.  That's when I saw it.  My back tire was completely wedged up against my back fork.  The alignment was way off.  I knew at that time that this was a big issue.  I carried my bike up to the main road where there was an aid station.  Some of the volunteers rushed over to help me out.  We popped the back tire off and started to see what we could do.  Minutes were passing by and so were dozens and dozens of athletes.  We adjusted one of the alignment screws and it seemed like it worked.  I jumped on, started to pedal and it popped right back out of place.  I did this 3 or 4 times and every time it went right back out of place. 

 

By this time, I knew that any hope of a personal best was out of the question.  I had to regroup my thoughts and evaluate the situation.  If I didn't get this fixed, I wouldn't be able to finish the race.  That couldn't happen.  I continued to work on the bike and got the wheel to somewhat function.  It was still rubbing on the fork but I could muscle through it.  I knew I only had 11 miles to go.  I decided that even if my bike wasn't up to speed I had to get to the run so I went for it.  Luckily after a few hundred yards it stopped rubbing and I was able to get to the run portion without incident.  I lost 26 minutes on my little bike debacle.

 

Our great friends the Morris' were out to support us in their RODS gear!

 

Coming into the bike transition I felt a huge sense of gratitude.  Even if I wasn't going to have my best race, I at least got to finish the race.  I didn't hold anything back and got onto the run course as fast as I could.

 

Boise has the best run course I've ever been on.  Most of it is in the shade and it's right next to the river.  It's all on the greenbelt which makes for good places for spectators to watch.  Throughout the run I was feeling pretty good but still encountered the typical challenges that always come up during an Ironman.  It takes 2-3 miles to get your legs back after a long bike ride.  There are many many times that you have to fight the thoughts that come to mind about just taking a little break and walking for awhile.  Then around mile 8 my legs start to hurt pretty bad, especially my quads.  That's all part of the fun though.  Those are the times when you really have to remember why you're doing this.  It's a time when you learn the most about yourself as well.  I've found that as long as I smile, keep positive thoughts in my mind and just keep going, the finish line always comes.  These races are about doing your best given the circumstances you face.  Regardless of the adversity we face, we must keep moving forward!

 

The best part of the entire day was at mile 12.75 of the 13.1 mile run.  I caught up to Trace.  He has been part of RODS since the beginning and is a huge support.  He's a great athlete as well.  We got to run the final part of the race side by side and cross the finish line together.  If I didn't have the mechanical issues on the bike we wouldn't have been able to experience that.  I'm thankful that I got to have that experience!

The Olmos' were also at the finish line.  They are also RODS members and great supporters of the cause.  I'm very appreciative of all the incredible support that I had out there during the entire race.

 I'm pretty sore today, but just like after all the races before, I can't wait to get out there again.  We are making much progress with RODS Racing because of these races and our incredible athletes and sponsors who support us.  I am also extremely appreciative to all the individuals who have donated to our RODS Orphans.  We are racing for Vaughn right now.  We have 7 children who have been adopted now because of all those who have believed in our cause.  We have a lot of great things in the works and most importantly are having a great time during the journey!  Until next time...

 

 

 

The Journey of Life

It was one year ago that we were in the middle of the Kona Inspired campaign.  Anyone who was a part of this surely remembers the all day voting sessions, shaved ice campaign and anticipation that came with the push to represent RODS Racing in the Ironman World Championship.  During this campaign there were many other videos that we were competing for the coveted Kona Slots.  It wasn't uncommon for me to have a fair amount of contact with other contestants as the voting momentum grew.  Through this I met a lot of good people.  There stories are all different but inspirational in their own special way.  I'd like to share with you one of these individuals stories tonight.

I received an email from Travis Hess right as the final rounds of voting were taking place.  We had both made it to the finals.  I was in the first round and he was in the second round.  His email was very kind as he gave me encouragement and said that he thought I should be one of the contestants to race in Kona.  After a few emails I had the chance to visit with Travis on the phone.  Just like in his  emails, he was a non assuming and pleasant individual.  Humble and gracious.  Travis had been through a lot and I found myself feeling undeserving of the Kona Slot after hearing what he has experienced. 

Cancer has been a part of Travis' family for many years.  He had battled cancer on and off for the previous 20 years.  His father and his brother had died of cancer.  He also experienced something I have a hard time even trying to fathom in 2000 when he lost a daughter to cancer.  Travis could have done what most of us would have done which is give up after such a traumatic loss.  Rather than give up however, Travis decided to take this difficult time and channel that energy to create something positive.  He founded the Hess Cancer Foundation.  The purpose of this foundation is to raise funding for families who have lost a child to cancer.  This funding helps offset the costs that weigh so heavily after a battle is lost. 

Travis raised much of his funding through racing Ironman Triathlons.  In 2010, he took on Ironman Coeur d’alene.  In speaking with him in 2012, his dream was to race in Kona at the Ironman World Championship.  He knew this would be a tremendous opportunity to help create awareness to drive his cause.

When the dust finally settled with all of the voting, Travis was not chosen to race in Kona.  He was one of the first individuals to congratulate me.  He was already starting to talk about 2013 and how he was going to enter again.  I promised to offer my support and help in any way I could when that time came.  We emailed off and on over the last year and even had a lunch scheduled in Salt Lake City where we would get to meet in person.  Regrettably I had to reschedule and the lunch never took place.

A few weeks ago I was perusing through the videos for the 2013 Kona Inspired campaign.  I didn't see Travis' video there so I made a mental note to follow up to see how the preparation was coming.  A few days had gone by and I received my quarterly edition the Huntsman School of Business' magazine.  The air was taken out of me to see that Travis had passed away a few weeks ago after another bout with cancer. 

I know that we all have an appointed time when we pass on to the other side.  I know that this time has come for Travis.  Even with that knowledge I can't help but wonder what might have been had we been able to toe the line in Kona together both fighting for our causes that we feel so passionate about.  I think about Travis' family and how difficult it must be for his wife and children. 

I am thankful that I was able to cross paths with Travis.  He had a positive influence on me as I'm sure he did on so many other people.  I'm humbled and reminded that our time here is so precious.  I'm thankful for the memories that I have with my loved ones.  I am committed to making the most out of each day, leaving it all on the field and having no regrets when the final day comes.  Until we meet again my friend...

 

 

 

http://www.premierfuneral.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=2058693&fh_id=12144

Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Ever since taking the position with MassMutual on April 2nd I've been living in Salt Lake City in an apartment.  We've only been together as a family on the weekends which has made for some long weeks.  It has a silver lining though.  It has allowed me to really dial in and work long days and nights which is needed as I become adjusted to the new position.  It has also made us appreciate one another more than ever before. 

This weekend Andrea and the kids came to Salt Lake City and we stayed at my apartment.  Today we got up and found a local ward to attend.  Afterwards we made our way over to Temple Square for a few hours.  The boys loved all of the water fountains and Brynlee and Andrea enjoyed the sweet smells coming from all of the new flowers.  I enjoyed just being with my family.

Families are Forever

 I love this picture.  Lately Ridge has been carrying around pennies in his pockets.  He likes how they rattle around when he walks.  He'll also take his prized coins out throughout the day and count them.  So you can only imagine just how excited he was to see that all the fountains have lots and lots of coins in them!  He loved staring at all the bright coins in the water for what seemed like an hour. 

Nash didn't care as much about the coins but he did love the water.  One of his favorite things to do is throw rocks in the water.  There weren't any rocks laying around so he just enjoyed the warm spring afternoon next to the fountains.  He seemed like he was in deep thought.

Something that has become a tradition in our family is whenever we go somewhere that we walk, Nash always likes to let either me or Andrea get ahead of him so he can run full speed into our arms.  Today Andrea was the lucky one.  I hurried and got the camera ready just in time to capture the moment.

After we went back to my apartment everybody piled out of the car.  As I was helping Ridge out I noticed what looked like a rock stuck in the tire of the car.  After careful inspection I could see that it wasn't a rock but rather a bolt that was lodged in the tire.  I felt very thankful that I saw it.  I don't believe that it was happen chance that I parked just right so that the bolt would be pointing right at me when I got Ridge out of the car.  I knew that early tomorrow morning Andrea and my 3 little kids would be making the 5 hour journey back to Meridian.  I'm so thankful that we were able to avoid any of the potential dangers and inconveniences that inevitably would have come had we not noticed the bolt.  Ironically enough when I went to get the tire changed, the service person found another nail in the tire. 

Only 3 more weeks until we get to move into our new home in Alpine.  Andrea got to see it for the first time on Thursday.  Yep, you read that right, the FIRST TIME!  I have the most trusting wife.  She let me pick out our new house without even seeing it!  Luckily she loved it!  I look forward to the near future when Dad comes home every day at 5 for family dinner and time to enjoy each others company.  In the meantime, we'll keep preparing to pack, move, and all the other fun stuff that comes with a relocation.



To Utah We Go!

In 2005 I graduated from Utah State University and took a position with a financial services company to open a scratch office them in Logan, Utah.  I learned very quickly that I loved this industry, especially the aspect of developing new financial planners as a manager.  Things went great and in 2008 my family and I moved from Logan, UT to Meridian, ID where I accepted a position of Vice President for this same company. 

Moving to Idaho was a very rewarding experience for my family.  Both Andrea and I had spent most of our life living close to family in Cache Valley (Logan, UT).  In moving to Idaho, this was our families first opportunity to be "on our own".  The only people we knew in Meridian were a few individuals from my work.  This was great because it forced us to get out of our comfort zone which created much personal growth.  We also enjoyed having the opportunity to truly rely on each other now that our family was no longer readily accessible. 

After a few months of adjusting, we really started to enjoy our neighborhood, neighbors and my new position within the company.  Life was good and we loving being "Idahoans".

Fast forward 5 years which brings us to today.  Recently we have had a considerable amount of growth outside of Idaho in my job which has required me to travel increasingly more.  This was tough considering my children are getting older and these years of their lives we'll never get back.  We also started to see some changes in the demographics of our extended family.  There's lots more cousins in Utah and our kids love spending time with them.  All of our grandparents are aging and their health has been poor.  In a nutshell, we started to miss our family and our home in Utah.

That's why when I was approached about interviewing for a position that would give us the opportunity to return to Utah it caught my attention.  The opportunity itself was also very appealing.  I would be interviewing for the position of President/CEO of a financial services company in Utah.  I knew it was a long shot to get the job, but I gave it my best shot.  Long story short I got lucky and was chosen for the position!  I am now working for Mass Mutual Financial Group - Intermountain West.

We are so excited to get back home!  I'm also very excited for the chance to work in this capacity.  Tuesday was my first day.  Throughout the week I've been fortunate to meet with many of the advisers for our firm.  These are very driven individuals that are committed to their clients, their family, and their community!  The future is bright!

We've already found a home that we love!  We'll be living in Alpine.  The kids are excited because the lot the house sits on is zoned to have up to 2 horses.  Nash really wants a goat or some chickens.  I can only imagine Nash with a yard full of farm animals!  I'm not too sure we'll be getting any animals anytime soon, but I guess you never know. 

Another reason I'm excited to live in Utah is because of the triathlon community as well as the Down syndrome community.  Both are great!  There are some excellent triathletes and there are some great races in the community.  Brynlee has been doing some training with me this year so she can do her first kids triathlon this summer.  There are also many families who have adopted children that they found through Reece's Rainbow.

In the meantime, we'll be packing, moving and then unpacking.  Summer time is just around the corner and before I know it, June 8th will be here.  That's the day of my first triathlon of the season, the Boise 70.3! 

Change is good.  It creates opportunity for growth and the opportunity for renewal.  It challenges us, but it also refines us.  For this I'm very thankful!

When One Door Closes, Another Opens...

One of our very first RODS Orphans was Megan.  We have had her on our mind and our prayers for quite some time now.  Things started slow with Megan.  Our first glimmer of hope was an updated picture and a health update stating that she was doing well.  Then an even better picture came in about a month later.  She looked so beautiful!  Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months as we waited for the news that a family had chosen Megan to adopt.

Finally after several months my Facebook page lit up with notifications from friends telling me that Megan had a family!  I jumped on this family's blog and saw that it appeared to be a perfect home for our little princess.  This was right before the challenges arose in Russia. 

At first, there was hope that this was a temporary issue and that adoptions would return to normal quickly.  The original bad news turned worse as political strife continued as politicians dug their hills in even deeper on the adoption ban.  Finally, after trying to wait it out, adoption agencies started pulling out of Russia and the dozens of families in the process of adopting sadly had to back out as well.  It was hard to hear this knowing that Megan had nearly a full adoption grant for almost a year before a family came forward to adopt her.  The thoughts of "what if she would have had a family commit earlier" came to mind.  I dismissed these thoughts because I have better over the years.  I've learned that there is a bigger plan that many times we don't completely understand and that everything happens for a reason. 

I also learned that Megan is in good hands right now.  Here is a part of an email that I received from the family that was in the process of adopting Megan. 

We did receive some peace in releasing her, and I wanted to share that comfort with you now. Through the adoption agency we found out she is NOT in an institution but a very nice boarding school with kids her age. She is completely healthy with none of the health issues she had to begin with for they have all been treated. She is only with kids her age. AND she is one of the favorites. Not only is she receiving education, and health care but it seems she is also receiving love. It does not compare to the love of a family, but it is something.  We will continue to pray for her OFTEN.

We've all heard that when one door closes another door opens.  That is definitely the case here.  This wonderful family that had committed to adopting Megan did not let this set back knock them completely out of blessing the life of an individual.  Through prayer and much thought, their hearts were touched.  They have decided to move forward with the adoption of another child, a little girl named Andrea.

Here is a paragraph from the email they had just sent me talking about this:

I also wanted you to know your hard work on that grant is not going to sit idly but is going to rescue another child who is in imminent danger of being transferred to an institution. We are moving forward with our adoption by adopting Andrea. You can read about her on our blog (ANDREA'S BLOG) We would not have been able to do it without your hard work and we are still so very grateful! I know it was intended for Megan, but I hope you will understand that it is still saving a life.

What a blessing for Andrea.  I've seen her on the Reece's Rainbow site before.  Disappointed to learn about Megan, I feel so good to know that this has created an opportunity for Andrea to have a forever family.  This little girl I hope to meet someday soon when she gets home.  I feel the same way I did when a new child is born into our family.  The love for the other children is not diluted but our capacity to love at an even greater degree increases.  Andrea is a special little girl and I'm so happy to know that I played a small part in helping her.

Proud to be a Dad...and a Son

This video was recently shared with me.  I've watched it probably close to a dozen times the last few days and each time I watch it I feel like I learn a new insight.  The overwhelming feeling I get each time I watch it is that I'm so thankful to be a dad.  Right now is such a special time of life.  My children's ages are 7, 5, and 3.  They are filled with a pure innocence.  When I get home from work I love to watch them interact with each other.  They have their own little world that they live in.  They could care less whether the stock market went up that day or if the Braves will win the World Series this year.  Their priorities are my priorities.

There is nothing I wouldn't do for them.  I believe most parents feel the same for their kids.  Yet despite our willingness to run through a wall for our children, most of the time all they want from us is to spend time with them reading a book or telling a story about when we were a kid.  I constantly have to remind myself of this. 

I have such peace knowing that while I'm away in the grown up world working as a CFP, my beautiful wife and mother to our children is home tending to their needs.  I feel so blessed that the woman my children call "mom" is Andrea.  I have such confidence and trust that our little ones are getting all the love and attention that they need and deserve with Andrea as our caretaker. 

Each Monday night we reserve that evening for a night together as a family.  We call it "Family Night".  Usually family night is started formally with Brynlee or Andrea playing a song on the piano that we sing along to and then we have a prayer. After the prayer we say our family mission statement together.

 "We are a family that loves each other.  We protect each other.  We work hard on our responsibilities.  We play together. We pray together and ultimately we strive to follow the Saviors example in all that we do."

This last family night was a little bit different.  Rather than stick to the formal stuff, we played.  I was attacked by all 3 kids and Andrea in an attempt to wrestle and pin dad.  Luckily they are still to little to pull this off but I know that my time isn't too far down the road.  Then I started chasing them all throughout the house trying to catch them.  They would always end up hiding in the pantry so I would patiently wait by the kitchen table for them to gain enough confidence to try and sneak away.  As soon as they would come around the table I would jump out and scare them.  Brynlee and Nash caught on after a time or two but Ridge (my 3 year old) was as surprised as the first time to see dad jump out and scare them.  It was among the most fun I've had in years. 

Similarly to the way I feel about my children, I know there is a loving Heavenly Father who cares even more deeply for me as his son.  We are all his children.  He loves each and every one of us as his children.  I know I comprehend the things of creation and eternity about as much as my children understand world economics.  This does not matter though.  What is most important for us to know is that we are loved and that our needs will always be met.  We will all fall down and skin our knees at times but He will always be there to pick us back up, brush us off and get us back on our way.  For this I am and will always be thankful.